Kathleen's Blog: Day 55 Rotterdam, The Netherlands

July 13

The ship arrived in Rotterdam early in the morning. We got on the bus and made our way to Amsterdam. We spent the day exploring Amsterdam by bus and canal cruise. After lunch we had some free time to explore the flower markets and then we went to the Van Gogh Museum.

En route to Amsterdam we passed the lowland countryside dotted with farms, canals and the occasional windmill. We didn't see any flower fields, but apparently they are in another area and it is best to come see them for two weeks in April or May (not sure exactly).

Many of the passengers have had a cold, which means we have some snorters, not sniffing, but snorting constantly on the long bus rides. I tell you, if I didn't have my music and headphones for these trips, I would loose my cool with these people. It also means I can't hear the tour guide on the bus.

The Netherlands is as flat as a pancake, or so we were told. Much of the land is below sea level, so water has to be pumped off the land.

With more than 60 miles of waterways, Armsterdam boasts more canals than Venice. The water has to be pumped out and refreshed regularly otherwise it gets smelly, and it also acts as a mosquito preventative.

In Amsterdam you have a greater chance of being hit by a cyclist than a car. Just about everyone owns a bike. There is very little room for cars and little parking with all the canals taking up much of the room. We were told the cyclists are not fond of the tourists getting in the way, wandering about in a daze and stopping everywhere to take photographs. They don't bother wearing helmets. As tourists we didn't have to worry about them until midday, it was pretty much a ghost town until that time, then the place came to life.

I didn't see any of the hash cafes. Apparently there is a famous red light district, and I was told by a lady in another group that many went off in search of that area, haha. The onboard lecturer who gives us travel tips and information for the ports informed us that the ladies of the red light district do not like you taking photos of them.

The heart of the city was stunning and so different from what we have seen of Europe so far. It was a refreshing change. I can't help but take pictures of bridges and water, I took 75 plus photos of bridges in Amsterdam, and I can't bring myself to cull them, I think I may have a bridge problem.

Anne Franks House is in Amsterdam, I would have liked to visit there. The former hiding place of Anne and her family is now part of a museum dedicated to her. Her diary is also there.

There are lots of photos in this post. I couldn't help myself.

Rotterdam port.

Rotterdam.

Windmill for pumping water.

Arrival in Amsterdam.

The back of the flower market.

Apparently the most expensive hotel in Amsterdam.

This is the new Amsterdam, many new apartments were built with canals. Very expensive to live here, and I am not sure I like the new area compared with the beauty in the heart of Amsterdam.

Student accommodation. It is too expensive for students to live in the new apartments so they live in these recycled ship containers.

Floating experimental houses. Much of this area where the new buildings are is reclaimed land. Building has halted due to the economy, and much of what has been built is vacant.

They had a bright idea to build a metro, the work is taking much longer than expected, the costs are escalating and it is breaking the houses. These ones have gone all wonked. The owners of the damaged properties had to be relocated and compensated.

There are house boats everywhere. It is expensive to get a permit to have one.

I don't think they are meant to be bumper boats.

There are ducks and swans in the canals. It is funny how they wait for the cruise boat to pass, then they swim to the other side quick as a wink.

This floating building is the Tulip Museum.

Museum of Bags and Purses.

Many of the buildings have been sinking and are slanted sideways or forwards.

The top of our enclosed cruise boat. I didn't hear any of the commentary during our canal cruise. I sacrificed the information on what we were viewing for better photos from the open back of the boat.